CHESHIRE, Conn. – Westbrook High School senior multi-sport athlete Alana Bochanis has been selected as the 2019 Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport recipient which is given by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC).
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Bochanis was born with congenital heart disease that required her first surgery when she was three months old; the first of nine surgeries she has endured in her young life. Despite the incredible physical challenges her disease presents she has been a[...]

It started more than a month ago with the Cross Country Divisional Championships (impacted by weather, of course) and concluded this past Saturday with four football finals. All told, 38 CIAC State Championship trophies were awarded and this edition of Linked Up - Championships edition has a story on all 38.
For those unfamiliar (or simply as a reminder for those who are previously familiar) Linked Up Championships will provide a link to the local media[...]

Editors note - this story was originally published April 12, 2018. We are sharing it today in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day
Change and progress come slowly. Often too slowly. The much-needed conversation about challenges with mental health, and depression particularly among athletes is happening with greater frequency. Recently NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love both opened up about their battles with anxiety and depression, further bringing the conversation into prominence and helping to[...]

The divisions for all 2018 fall sports have been posted on the CIACsports.com site. To view the tournament divisions for any sport, go to the specific sport information page which are all listed on the main sports page of the site.[...]

Schedules for 2018 fall sports have been posted on the CIACsports.com site. To view a schedule for any school or specific team, or a statewide master varsity schedule for a sport, visit the main schedule and results page of the site.[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – The online application for credentials for the CIAC girls volleyball, field hockey, boys soccer, girls soccer championship games and girls swimming Open at various sites are now available for submission online. The online application can be found at: http://casci.ac/2772. All the championships will take place Saturday, November 18.
Requests to be included on press pass lists for any of the championship sites and venues are due by 10 a.m. on Friday, November 17.
The[...]

Each year the National Federation of State High School Associations and its rules committees present changes for the upcoming year, and send out a release. CIAC does its best to share rule changes with its membership, but things can get lost in the shuffle. To try and prevent that, we've included all the released rule changes for fall sports that will go into effect in the fall of 2017 in one place. Of course coaches,[...]

And that is now officially a wrap on the 2016 fall championship edition of linked up. Thirty-eight championship stories are included below (and there are many more stories out there on this outstanding teams, so please seek them out also). This has to be one of our favorite recurring features on CIACsports.com because it highlights so many great championship stories, along with the excellent work of the news outlets in covering these events.
For those unfamiliar[...]

The CIAC is announcing the schedule for the fall rules interpretations meetings provided to CIAC by officials’ organizations and league. CIAC rules and regulations require head coaches or their designee to represent your school at these important meetings. Other coaches are encouraged to attend, but it is not a requirement. If your coach cannot make the meeting in your area, I am certain he/she would be welcome at one of the other meetings. If you[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – The CIAC has posted the 2016-17 CIAC Handbook and Tournament Packets for all fall sports with all the information available for view and download on CIACsports.com.
The CIAC Handbook contains all rules and regulations and policies, including changes voted on at the 2016 Annual Meeting and is effective as of July 1. The Handbook can be downloaded here. The Handbook was condensed slightly and reorganized this year to eliminate redundant and conflicting information[...]

Each year the National Federation of State High School Associations and its rules committees present changes for the upcoming year, and send out a release. The rule changes will be included in the latest rule books when they are produced, but it's nice to know about any changes in advance. CIAC does its best to share rule changes with its membership, but things can get lost in the shuffle. To try and prevent that, we've[...]

Champions will earn titles in five CIAC sports this weekend, and for those who can't attend the events, there are many ways to follow the action on-line. Here is an attempt at a comprehensive list of the various ways to follow the action if you can't attend. Thirteen of the 16 events will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network. In addition CPTV Sports will re-air four girls volleyball, and one boys and girls soccer[...]

Release courtesy of NFHS.
Read the Hartford Courant story on honoree Grace Cummings
View the WFSB profile on Grace Cummings
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Grace Cummings, a student-athlete at Madison (Connecticut) Daniel Hand High School, was honored as the 2015 national recipient of the “National High School Spirit of Sport Award” by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) at the Opening General Session of the NFHS Annual Summer Meeting in New Orleans, La.
The “National High School Spirit[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – The CIAC, in partnership with the Connecticut Bowling Proprietors Association, is holding its fourth Connecticut High School Bowling Invitational on Saturday February 28. The event will take place at Bowl-O-Rama in Newington beginning at 10 a.m. and is open to all CIAC member schools.
Registration for the event is now open, and the first 40 programs to submit their entries to the CIAC office, care of Judy Sylvester will be entered in the[...]

On October 25th the CIAC fall championships began with cross divisional championships as 12 teams earned trophies. Forty-nine days later the season concluded on a sunny and brisk Saturday in December with seven championship football contests. CIACsports.com provided its own complete coverage of the football championships but for the sake of completing a task, Linked Up Fall Championships 2014 now includes stories on every championship team. Congratulations to all the student-athletes and coaches that earned titles[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – The crowning of 16 CIAC champions will be broadcast live online over the next three days on the NFHS Network.
Finals in boys and girls soccer, field hockey, girls volleyball, and swimming and diving will all be shown live on the Network, which can be accessed at http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/ciac. Viewing subscriptions can be purchased for the day, month, season, or annually to view content on the NFHS Network.
In addition all four volleyball finals as[...]

The brackets have been whittled down and the fall sports season will conclude in five sports with a bonanza of championship events over the coming days. Below we have provided a historical breakdown of each team’s success in the respective tournaments, to provide some context for what will take place this weekend. Along with that, there are several interesting little tidbits found by digging through the championship match-ups and their history. As such, here are[...]

In August the CIAC Board of Control approved changes for the season limitations and practice dates for the 2015-16 season beginning in the fall 2015. The changes were approved after the 2014-15 CIAC Handbook went to print, therefore the on-line edition has incorrect dates listed for 2015-16. The CIAC has attempted to share the correct dates as widely as possible and they will be correct in the next edition of the CIAC Handbook, but in[...]

The preseason end is in sight with the fall season kicking off on Tuesday, September 9. While there are so many games on the schedule in that first week it might be tough to distinguish one from another, there were a few that jumped out as particularly intriguing. With the HUGE caveats that these thoughts are based mostly on team success of a year ago, and that things could be drastically different this year, here[...]

For the first time in nearly a decade, the CIAC girls lacrosse tournaments opened play this past week without Cindy Dysenchuk overseeing the action as tournament director. It certainly is not due to a lack of commitment to girls lacrosse, but rather the opportunity to excel in another one of her passions proved too much to resist. In this case she traded watching lacrosse sticks to taking up a field hockey stick and taking part[...]

The issue of concussions and brain injury has been a focus of the CIAC for many years, and with new information coming to the fore, the critical importance of this issue has come into sharper focus. Through its policies and requirements the CIAC has made great effort to protect the well-being of student-athletes. It has worked to empower athletic directors, coaches, and parents by providing the latest information from medical groups and the National Federation[...]

It took (way) longer than anticipated, but with the class LL football championship in the books, the CIAC fall sports championship season is now officially concluded. There were numerous wonderful stories throughout the championship season (which began with the cross country divisional championships on October 26) and the Championship Edition of Linked Up is a place to find a lot of those stories in one place. Congratulations to all the athletes who took part in[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – Due to icy conditions leading to safety concerns at West Haven High School and still dangerous travel in the area, the CIAC class LL football final between Southington and Fairfield Prep has been tentatively postponed to Monday, December 16 at 7 p.m. at West Haven.
A decision on whether or not the game will be played on Monday evening will be made no later than Monday morning at 10 a.m.
The winter storm that[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – The CIAC has posted the 2016-17 edition of the CIAC Handbook as well as 2016 Tournament Packets for all fall sports with all the information available for view and download on CIACsports.com.
The Handbook includes detailed explanation of seven by-law changes approved during the last school season which are effective for the 2013-14 school year including new policy for transgender athlete participation, giving schools the option to use Sundays as make-up games upon[...]

Did you know that the CIAC Network has 57 championship events On Demand from the past season? Well, it is true, and with the 2013-14 season still a few months away, this seemed like a perfect time to re-live some of those championship moments and to get the feedback of the fans. With all those games, the CIACsports.com staff has selected a best "moment" from each sport (or in some cases a combination of moments) and[...]

After a week hiatus, Linked Up is back with a nearly all Connecticut lineup. Only one national story this week, as the focus is on some really interesting features from around the state.
From the Stamford Advocate: Many folks are in awe of twins Ellie and Sam Gravitte who star on and off the field for Ridgefield.
From the Hartford Courant: Two long-time tennis coaches at Bristol Eastern are nearing retirement. Also from the Courant the RHAM girls[...]

Another Friday, another batch of links with compelling stories from around the state and country. Two themes this week, as we have two stories about the roots of family in the sporting world whether in a pool in East Lyme or a family that has massively contributed to the sporting landscape of Middletown. There are also two stories about the improvements players can go through over the course of their careers, whether that means growing[...]

When the CIAC reached an agreement with PlayOn! Sports in the spring of 2012 to begin live web streaming regular season and most prominently championship events the excitement was evident. This was an opportunity to enhance the experience for the student-athletes and fans by bringing the games to a wider audience across the state. It turns out the expectations were a touch low and that the audience for high school competition would extend well beyond[...]

The devastation from Hurricane Sandy can still be seen around the state, and on the more trivial level the impact on the high school sports scene also still being felt. Whether it was schools that found themselves without power for an extended period of time, or the fact that the CIAC Soccer Tournaments will conclude the day after Thanksgiving rather than a week earlier, the super storm seemed intent on disrupting just about all areas[...]

Traditionally Linked Up is saved for feature stories, rather than game recaps. But in this case, it serves as a one-stop-shop for all the wonderful stories of teams that captured CIAC Tournament championships this past weekend. These articles do include some great details about players and teams that were fortunate enough to close the season holding a CIAC trophy.
From the Connecticut Post: The Darien field hockey team took care of business to capture a title.
From the Norwalk Hour: Seniors emerge to[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn.– A total of eight CIAC Tournament finals will take place on Friday and Saturday November 16-17 and all eight competitions will be broadcast live on the CIAC Network at www.CIAC.tv.
The championship matches in all four classes in girls volleyball and three classes in field hockey, as well as the girls swimming State Open will all be carried live. The full broadcast schedule with links to the broadcasts can be found on the CIAC[...]

The plan made perfect sense on paper. Due to the extremely unpleasant weather that has graced the state over the past few weeks, Friday November 9 became a day chalk full of CIAC Tournament action. This seemed like an opportunity that does not often present itself with five different sports holding tournament action, so this CIAC staffer decided to get a taste of the action and atmosphere at all five sports. What follows are the[...]

It may be true of all sports, but the perception is perhaps most prevalent in the fall season. With goals often at a premium in soccer and field hockey, the moments when offenses break through and scores are celebrated, and similarly the players who can consistently score and set-up those goals are seen as vital. There is no questioning the importance of these offensive plays and players, but it is easy to overlook the defenses[...]

CHESHIRE, Conn. – As a result of the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has left many schools still closed and caused damage and other issues across the state, the CIAC has created a revised schedule for the 2012 fall tournaments. The decision came after a thorough review of the calendar, discussion with tournament directors, and communication with potential host sites.
The CIAC fall tournaments in boys and girls soccer, field hockey, and girls volleyball were originally[...]

Several days worth of links compiled in this one, with a wide variety of topics covered.
From Mysuburbanlife.com: An element of high school sports that might get overlooked, which is the student in the mascot costume. Nice to read about those students who might not be contributing on the field but are still involved in the experience.
From Patch.com: It is hard to ignore all the health concerns currently in the news about football. Here is a history lesson[...]

Halfway through the week, and it's time for another set of links. A little smaller collection this time, with some very different topics included.
From the New Haven Register: Within this soccer notebook is a story of a father and son coaching against each other and all the emotions involved in that complicated situation.
From Joe Posnanski's Blog: This post has only a limited connection to high school sports, but it is a great read on the wide range of[...]

The opening day of fall competition is in the books, and with it, you will see a slightly different style of Linked Up. With the seasons now underway, if you are looking for full coverage of local events or results across the state, the Connecticut newspapers have you covered. For those stories, we suggest you check out the "Media Directory" tab on the Media page of the website to search out specific stories or results.[...]

One more day before the first official contests of the fall season. It seems mother nature is also excited for the start as after a wild weekend, the forecast for the rest of the week for most of the state looks fantastic. Today's links again feature a lot of preview stories as everyone ramps up for the start of the year. There are so many previews at this point, it is challenging to link to[...]

With the countdown to the fall season continuing, it is straight to the links today.
There are a lot of football links today, and in general for football fans you can't go wrong checking out the following blogs on high school football: Mike Pucci at New Haven Register, Sean Patrick Bowley at the Connecticut Post, Ned Griffen at the New London Day, the Red Zone blog for the Republican-American, Dave Ruden's Overtime and iTeams from the Hartford Courant.[...]

One week away. Seven days. Approximately 168 hours (or 10,080 minutes). You get the idea. That is how long the anxious student-athletes, coaches, parents, fans and anyone else must wait before the 2012 high school sports season kicks off. It has been a long time coming for these teams and athletes and they are no doubt anxious to get started. With that in mind, here is a look at what is being written around the[...]

The following is the regular season field hockey overtime procedure for the 2012 season. The rule has been updated to include the new NFHS ruling regarding cards/disqualified players:
TIE BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR REGULAR SEASON GAMES SUDDEN VICTORY 7 V 7; 10 MINUTE OVERTIME PERIOD
OVERTIME PLAY: All game rules, including substitutions, shall apply except as specified below. The overtime is considered over when a goal is scored or the time has expired.
At the end of regulation play,[...]

Start with this; this exercise means absolutely nothing. Breaking down what happened in the past is a fun pastime, but it needs to be clear that there is little to no predictive value in this endeavor. It can just be a fun endeavor to take a look at history to try and find interesting trends, although in this case having more years of data would be even more helpful. Either way, here is a breakdown of the[...]

The CIAC's two mobile webapps have been updated for the new school year.
CIACmobile.com features schedules, results, rosters and other important information on all CIAC schools and sports, along with news and updates, ticket purchasing for championships, a tournament merchandise store and streaming championship video.
fb.CIACMobile.com is a specialized webapp for football with a scoreboard, schedules, rosters, rankings and statistics.
To use the apps simply point the browser on your mobile phone to http://CIACmobile.com or http://fb.CIACMobile.com. If you're[...]

The grass has been cut (or with field turf, has been maintained) and this morning there was the familiar autumn dew on my car. This can only mean the interscholastic sports season is nearly ready to kick off. In fact, most teams are out on the field for pre-season practices already.
With that in mind, it seems the perfect time to take a brief look at the recent CIAC Tournament results to get a feel for[...]

A complete schedule of Fall sport rules interpretation meetings has been posted on the site. Schools are reminded that their head coach or a designated representative is required to attend the meeting for their sport. More information and the complete schedule of meetings can be found here.[...]